


Newfoundland

by pathstovirtue



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cheating, F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 22:55:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20983760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pathstovirtue/pseuds/pathstovirtue
Summary: A fictional take on what happened during the Great Kitchen Party's trip to Newfoundland.





	Newfoundland

Scott saw Tessa first.

She walked towards the baggage claim, her head bowed and her hand digging in the Chanel crossbody. A sigh escaped her lips and she tucked back loose strands of hair that escaped her braid, before staring at her screen that was lit up with unread messages. There was something bothering her; he could tell by the way she nibbled on her bottom lip and tapped her foot on the ground. That was until she smiled, perhaps from a different message.

Scott wondered if that was a message from him.

He saw the rumors circulating around the fandom, and heard the hushed whispers in the skating world. Every time he asked about the gossip, he was quickly dismissed from the conversation. He wasn’t surprised; he did isolate himself from the skating community after the tour wrapped.

He knew he shouldn’t care, he was afterall in a relationship, but there was something that irked him. Something that furthered his desire to drink and fuck to feel better about everything going on in his life. Didn’t mean it helped; some would claim it made things worse.

He grabbed his luggage and made his way over to her. Tessa’s back now faced him, her head still bowed down as she scrolled through her phone.

The temptation to see who she was texting was there, staring him in the eyes mockingly.

He knew it was rude to look over her shoulder, to try to see what she was looking at on her phone, but he couldn’t help himself. Scott’s eyes flickered to the screen, a sense of relief pouring out from him when he saw her scrolling through her Twitter feed. Okay, she wasn’t texting that guy.

“Hey T-bone,” He said.

She jumped around, her green eyes alarmed and clutching her chest. “Oh my god, you scared me,” giggled Tessa. Her face then smoothed to a more serious expression. “I thought you were getting in earlier?”

Scott shrugged and adjusted his grip on the suitcase handle. “Flight got delayed, there was a storm passing through Tampa.”

Tessa nodded and they stood there in silence gazing around at the other passengers. They hadn’t talked, well, not really, talked since April. Mallorca consisted of brief conversations or extended work-related conversations. It wasn’t like how it used to be: where they would be talking nonstop about everything and anything. Things had changed significantly since the fall, and it almost felt foreign to stand next to her in the airport and wait for their luggage.

“Where’s Jackie?” asked Tessa breaking the conversation.

He swallowed, “Tampa.”

“Oh,” She said, surprised, fully expecting his girlfriend to be present. Tessa glanced back at the carousel which was now unloading the suitcases. Her eyes flickered to each one unloading and she inched her way forward as she saw hers drop out.

“Here, let me,” said Scott. He reached in front of her and grabbed her suitcase, setting it down in front of her with a small smile. “How many more?”

“Just one more.”

He saw her second suitcase before her and grabbed it effortlessly placing it in front of her.

They wordlessly started walking away, falling into old habits of Scott grabbing one of Tessa’s suitcases and wheeling it. She mouthed “thank you” to him, as they made their way to the Uber pick-up location in the airport.

“Should be here in five minutes,” said Tessa staring down at loaded app on her phone. A message preview popped on her phone and she nonchalantly swiped it away. “I arranged some ice time each day, I figured we need to get some practice in since those Japan shows are coming up.”

“GKP allowed that? I thought we were busy day in and day out.”

“I negotiated, of course,” shrugged Tessa.

“Well that’s good.”

Tessa continued shifting into her work-related conversation, not knowing where to begin.“We also need to make sure we schedule a time to run through our talks in New York. I’d rather have a plan about how we talk about our partnership and--”

“Tess,” Scott interrupted, “do you ever stop working?”

She stared at him and then looked out at the cars passing by. “Nowadays, not really. Just wanting to take every opportunity before people lose interest. I want to be well set up for my future so when one day I want to settle down, I have the means to do so.”

“So how much is on Tessa Virtue’s plate?”

She let out a dry laugh, “a lot. I don’t even know where to begin.”

Scott listened to her talk about the various sponsorships she had lined up and was negotiating. He tried not to think about his lack of sponsorship offers or the fact that he slowly saw his money dissipating from his bank account. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to do sponsorship and collaboration deals. Each offer he turned down the past year was due to the desire to have a bit of space to relax. He didn’t know that the offers would slowly drift to nothing.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and glanced over at her. “Can we talk about something else?”

Tessa looked at him blankly. “What else is there to talk about?”

Scott shrugged, “I don’t know. What did you do for your birthday?”

“The usual.”

“Champagne and dessert all day at the cottage?” He rattled off with hardly any thought.

“Yep.”

There was something dry that came across in her response, as if there was something missing. Scott gazed at her seeing her slight uneasiness to this topic.“Nothing special for your birthday? You only turn thirty once, and I figured you would do something special to bring in the new decade.”

Tessa glanced at him and then down at her phone, relieved that the ride was only seconds away from showing up. The truth was that she didn’t want to do anything special for her birthday, not since the original plan fell through.

When the Great Kitchen Party trips for 2019 were announced, her and Scott had planned on staying a few extra days in Mallorca. They wanted to take in the beautiful, romantic setting and do things that didn’t involve securing money from rich donors. They wanted to be them; wild, weird, and free of putting on a schmoozing act. A year ago Scott promised he would do everything to make turning thirty less daunting.

Flashforward to a year later, and the only thing she got from him was a measly, unemotional text that said, “Happy Birthday, Tess!”

“Plans fell through,” She replied flatly.

He stared at her unsure what she meant initially, until it hit him. He felt like he had been run over by a train remembering all of the broken promises he made to her a year ago. Things had changed, he was with someone else and ran back to Florida with her as soon as the first GKP trip ended.

“Tess--”

“There is our driver,” She said stepping forward and waving her hand at the car.

Scott took over loading the suitcases in the trunk, not even giving Tessa a chance to put her own in. She stood there slightly dumbfounded, biting her lip and watching him slam the trunk downwards. She went to open up her mouth to say something, but he just gave her a smile and opened up the door on her side before going to the other. It was the least he could do.

They continued to sit in silence the rest of the drive. Tessa skimmed through a new contract sent to her, chewing on her lip or frowning when she came across something she didn’t like.

Meanwhile, Scott sat in the adjacent seat staring at the other cars passing by. He felt his phone vibrate, knowing well it was probably Jackie, but he didn’t want to talk to her. Not when everything felt weird with Tessa, not when her usual talkative self around him reverted back to her extremely introverted nature.

Everything felt like a mess, and he didn’t know what to do.

* * *

Tessa was laughing with a young man at the hotel bar.

Her head tilted backwards, her mouth wide open, and her arms across around her stomach. He hadn’t heard from her since she forwarded him a copy of the reserved times for the ice, five minutes after they parted ways to their rooms that were on opposite sides of the floor.

“See you tomorrow morning!” Tessa had called down the hallway.

Scott hadn’t done much since then. He unpacked, flipped through TV channels, talked to Jackie until he grew hungry and in need of a drink. He texted Tessa, and never heard back. Now he knew why.

There were ways that he could tackle this situation. Scott could casually approach Tessa, nonchalantly dismissing the fact she was laughing with another man. He could also go up to her and demand why she ignored his text, but he knew that would be vindictive and would further their problems. Or he could turn around and find the nearest food place down the street.

He chose the latter.

That is how Scott found himself sitting in a sports bar down the street from the hotel alone. He picked around at the fries on his plate, listening to the Sportsnet channel playing on the TV recapping the sports for today. He didn’t care much for the hockey, still bitter about the Leafs losing to the Bruins in game 7, and already knew he would support the St. Louis Blues. Raptors basketball was never really his thing, although he was supporting them. Then there was the Blue Jays baseball, and their season was not starting out great.

For once, sports didn’t interest him, his thoughts were drifting elsewhere. He thought about Tessa laughing with that guy, the text message that she quickly swept away when they were looking to see where the Uber was. It was different, the biggest difference it has ever been for them. He felt like he didn’t know her, didn’t know what was going on in her life.

And to think that their fandom learned what she was doing nowadays before him.

Scott’s phone began ringing interrupting his thoughts and he glanced down at the screen seeing a picture of Jackie. He wiped his fingers on a napkin before picking up his phone. “Hey Jax,” He said attempting to sound happy.

“Hey just thought I would call. My shift just ended and I’m heading out.”

He heard the sound of her car start up and the seatbelt click into place. “How was it?”

“A bit slow today, but it was nice catching up on paperwork. How is it going on your end?”

“Fine, I guess. Nothing starts until tomorrow anyways, so I’m just grabbing a bite to eat at a sports bar. It is kinda lonely without you,” Scott said.

He grabbed his beer and took a large sip. He wasn’t used to traveling with Tessa and eating alone. From competition to skating shows to publicity events they always ate together. Even if they didn’t want to talk or things were tense with each other they still managed to silently slip out of the hotel to grab a bite to eat. Then there were nights when both were too exhausted to leave the hotel and he would call up room service to Tessa’s room. It was what they did, and now suddenly it wasn’t happening.

“I’m sorry, babe, but I had to work. I miss you too, it’ll be weird cooking without you tonight. I think I might order takeout.”

“From that Chinese place you love?”

She laughed, “yeah, that one. Heading there now to pick it up before I go home. Planning on relaxing and catching up on laundry. What are you doing the rest of the night?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you going to hang with Tessa?”

“Probably not,” He replied, “I’m tired and wanted to get to bed. We have some ice time to practice for Japan.”

There was a pause and he could already picture the look on Jackie’s face. Tessa was always a tense topic of conversation, like it had always been with past girlfriends. Scott thought about all of the questions that Jackie asked about him and Tessa, and the times she interrogated him each time she saw pictures of him and Tessa. It was jealousy and insecurity, he guessed, but he didn’t understand why. He was with Jackie, he practically moved to Florida for her.

“Jackie, you know you have nothing to worry about, right? It’s just work.”

“I know,” She mumbled, “hey, I gotta go, my mom is calling. Talk soon?”

“Yeah sure,” said Scott eating a french fry and hearing Jackie’s car turn off.

“Love you. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

Scott froze at hearing those words. He swallowed the lump in his throat and ran his hand through his hair, unable to return those same words. “Enjoy your dinner too. Bye,” He responded, and then quickly ended the call.

He decided not to check his phone the rest of the evening. He finished his burger and fries, had probably one more beer than he should, and took his time walking back to the hotel. The St. John’s weather was chilly, especially compared to the weather he had in Mallorca and Clearwater. He buried his hands deep in his jacket pockets, feeling out of place with how tan he looked compared to everyone else.

By the time he flopped into bed, face first, and decided to roll over and watch some TV did he dare check his phone. That was when he saw the unread text notification from Tessa.

_Sorry I couldn’t do dinner, I was negotiating some contracts for upcoming sponsorships. Rain check?_

Scott laughed out loud and tossed his phone to the side. He knew that he had no right to pry and to get the full truth from her. Why would she tell him she was flirting with a man at the bar? It wasn’t like he was truthful to Tessa about the extent of his visit to Florida back in September. He glanced over at his phone and let out a sigh, knowing that it wouldn’t do any good to ignore her.

_No problem, T. Meet in the lobby at 8? I’ll get the coffee._

_It’s a plan._

* * *

“We need to run it all the way through, again,” said Tessa. She placed her hands on her hips and glided around the ice making small circles. “There just wasn’t something right with our movements in the middle of Dark Times and we need to fix it.”

Scott stood by the boards nodding while he downed some water. His shirt was sticking to him, covered in sweat from their practice. He knew that he was out of shape, he could feel the strain in his hamstrings and back with each lift. The discomfort wasn’t to the point where he would drop Tessa, he would never allow that to happen, but he knew he would be paying for it later that night or tomorrow morning.

“Scott? Are you listening?” said Tessa lightly tapping her toe pick in the ice.

“I’m listening, just let me catch my breath,” He panted.

Tessa nodded and skated away quietly.

Scott looked at Tessa, before closing his eyes to focus on catching his breath. Regret began seeping through him as he thought about all of the times he made up an excuse not to go to the gym or chose to have fried food. Now he didn’t know how he would get through this practice, let alone a show.

“Fuck,” He whispered once he opened up his eyes.

She stood in the center of it practicing one part of the routine by herself humming the tune of the music. Scott tried to ignore the way his stomach clenched at the sight of her effortlessly skating by herself, when he should have been next to her. He would have been, if he maintained his fitness. Scott finally managed to catch a bit of his breath, then took another long drink of water before joining Tessa.

“Ready, T. If you’ll have me,” said Scott coming to a stop in front of her.

Tessa smiled smally, always having some sort of forgiveness when it came to mishaps on the ice (off the ice was a whole other story). “I think we should tweak this one part a bit. We are both having trouble being together, and this might make it easier.”

“Okay, sure. What is it?” He asked.

She smiled and then skated away from him picking up her speed. She did the foot sequence effortlessly, loudly saying how the movement would differ. Scott watched it intently and agreed with Tessa what minor tweak to the routine they needed to do.

“Alright, I think I get what you are saying. Try it? Together?” He said once she was stopped in front of him. He extended his gloved hand towards her and she gladly took it.

The ice was healing for both of them. Neither had spent much time on the ice the past several months, let alone together. It felt perfect holding her hand and holding her tight as they went through their routine. Almost too good, considering he almost forgot to reply to the dozen text messages from Jackie on their way out of.

It wasn’t until that they stood in line at the coffee shop post-practice that he heard his phone ring. He stopped his conversation with Tessa, mid-sentence, and frowned when he saw the photo of Jackie appear on his phone as an incoming call. “I should probably take this. Can you order me my usual, Tess? Next one's on me.”

Tessa tried to hide her sadness by giving him a half-hearted smile. “Sure, no problem.”

He ducked out of the small coffee shop and hit answer.

* * *

Scott arrived to the party before Tessa. He wondered how he somehow arrived before her, considering he had gotten back from the afternoon group activities and took a long nap. He thought he overslept, especially when he woke up to an incoming phone call from Jackie who was once again checking up on him.

Why was she always insistently checking up on him? What would have changed in the past six hours? It felt ridiculous to be annoyed with his girlfriend for wanting to talk to him throughout the day, it wasn’t too much to ask for in reality. Except the reality for him was that he wanted to be left alone in his own brooding thoughts. He would see her in a month, and right now he needed the distance for his own mental sanity.

“Hey, how are things?” said Tessa’s voice behind him.

Scott turned around in response to her voice, thinking she was talking to him but instead was talking to one of the people on the trip. He tried to hide the fact that his heart faltered at her reluctance to talk to him.

He remembered when they used to show up at the work functions together, planning their divide and conquer strategy. That didn’t happen now, by the looks of it. Tessa stood talking to one of the guests looking as radiant as ever and doing her part without going to Scott. Her hair was sleek and pulled back, and she wore a long sleeved dress that showed off her slender figure. Although the thing that struck Scott the most was her confidence, which always lacked slightly in a social situation like this.

And fuck, that confidence was sexy.

Scott swallowed and turned away to go and find someone else to talk to at the party. He settled on an older couple. It was easier to appease the older people at these events, he wasn’t sure why. Nevertheless, he decided that schmoozing this couple would be his best bet, and the safer option.

“So what have been up to since the Olympics and all the touring wrapped, Scott?” asked the older man, Bill.

“Nothing too major, if I’m being honest. Tess and I have been planning the tour this fall and we have some upcoming shows in Japan. Other than that it has been spending time with loved ones and helping out occasionally at the shop or rink,” He rambled hating his answer to the question. It was obvious he hadn’t been doing nearly as much as Tessa.

“Well deserved I think,” replied Julie with a warm smile.

“Yeah, just been adjusting to the routine without competition still,” grimace Scott. It wasn’t like the adjustment was going well.

Julie took a sip of her drink. “Oh, I bet it is a change. Looks like you have been out in the sun for quite a bit longer than the rest of Canada,” She chuckled

“Mallorca tanned you that much?” pressed Bill.

“Uh yeah, I tan easily, and I spent some time in Florida visiting my, uh, girlfriend.” He cringed as he said the last word, knowing well that this could result in a repercussion. He quickly diverted from it not wanting them to press for more information. “So, how are you guys enjoying this trip? What made you decide to go on it?”

“Bill just recently retired and we decided now that are kids are grown we can explore the world. We never ventured out of Calgary and decided it was best to explore our country. It’s beautiful out here.”

Scott took a sip and agreed, his eyes flickering to Tessa who was laughing with one of the few younger men on the trip that was the same man from the bar last night. A lump formed in his throat and he felt his jaw clench. He shouldn’t be jealous, he wasn’t with her and she could make her own decisions.

“Scott, are you okay?” asked Bill.

He blinked and shook the thoughts away. “Yeah, I, uh, need to go ask Tessa a question. We have been rehearsing for the upcoming shows and I have something to bring up before I forget. I’ll be right back, sorry.”

Scott ducked away from the couple and walked towards Tessa, hearing her giggle grow louder as he walked across the room.

“Scott, hi,” suddenly said the guy Tessa was conversing with, “I was hoping I would get a chance to talk to you. We never got to earlier.”

“Yeah, I thought I would make my way over here and chat. Although I hope I’m not interrupting anything since you two seem to be having so much fun.” Scott side-eyed Tessa, whose eyes were slightly narrowed. His jaw clenched more when he saw that the guy wasn’t wearing one of the dorky name tags.

“Oh, nothing really. Tessa, here, was telling me about how she spilled the entire pie on her lap on her birthday this past year,” the man chuckled. “I’m sure you have heard the entire thing.”

Tessa eyed Scott carefully then took a sip of her champagne.

Scott glanced shamefully at the ground “I didn’t hear that story actually.”

“That’s too bad. It is pretty hilarious if you want to catch him up to speed, Tessa.”

“Maybe another time. I don’t want to take up his time with others,” Her tongue clicked with every other word she said. He knew she was alluding to the fact that he had neglected their friendship for Jackie.

“I’ll catch up with you later, I need to make my rounds,” said Tessa. She squeezed the man’s arm and then walked away from Scott.

Scott quickly said goodbye too, and followed after Tessa. “T, can you hold up? Talk to me.” He grabbed her free hand and she turned around, anger clouding her eyes.

“No,” icily stated Tessa, “you just had to interrupt my conversation and make it awkward. I was having a good time.”

“Tess--”

“You can’t come in and out of this friendship, Scott. You can’t decide on one trip to be my best friend and the other trip to ignore me. You lost that privilege.”

His heart dropped. “Tess, you’re driving me crazy.”

She raised her brows. “Oh, how so? Because I’m enjoying myself without you?”

“You talking with those guys it’s making me--”

Tessa scoffed, “can you stop?”

He paused unsure how to respond, which only added to Tessa’s fiery amusement.

She grinned devilishly and looked back over at the man they were just talking to. “Let me guess, you want me to stay away from Peter?”

“Yes, I mean, no,” Scott struggled to say.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“I don’t trust you, at least not how I used to,” She said.

The words stung Scott and he couldn’t help but feel his eyes start to burn, on the verge of tears forming. Tessa stared at him and then turned to watch members of the Great Kitchen Party hit the dance floor after a few drinks were in them. “I’m going to go dance. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

She drank the rest of her champagne, and put it on an empty platter some of the hotel staff were carrying around. Effortlessly gliding onto the dance floor and joining in with some of the guests, as if they were her best friends. Scott didn’t recognize that side of Tessa, especially since she was always fearful to dive into social settings without him.

It made him realize how much she had grown and moved on without him in her life. Partially it was his fault, by running off to Florida every chance he got in the past six months, and making sure he got out of contracts by backing out at the last second. She had no choice but to force that independence from him.

A part of Scott was proud of her, but another part hated the way things were.

Several minutes into the dancing was when Scott saw Peter make his way towards Tessa. He leaned against the wall, resorting to being antisocial. Tonight had been too much. The Great Kitchen Party’s were supposed to be fun, a way to adventure with other fellow Canadians and to relax. Of course, there was the schmoozing that needed to take place, but he enjoyed formulating that connection with people.

Except, he didn’t like this connection with Tessa and Peter.

Tessa and Peter were casually dancing, nothing too promiscuous. They were laughing and having a great time, with Peter even spinning Tessa around.

Fuck.

He ground his teeth and quickly chugged down the rest of his drink once a slower song came on. There was no way he would let Peter dance with Tessa, at least not to this song. The song of Coldplay echoed across the dance floor, and Scott felt threatened as each second passed.

“Mind if I cut in?” pressed Scott, feeling the need to be at least somewhat polite.

“I, uh--” said Peter.

“Thanks,” gritted Scott. He swept Tessa into his arms and they began slowly swaying as the lyrics played in the background.

“What are you doing?” asked Tessa.

“Dancing with you,” He said.

“Out of jealousy?”

“No.”

Her green eyes narrowed at him, then glanced around at the rest of the crowd. Some people had their eyes glued on them, while others were conversing. She didn’t dare look at Peter, out of embarrassment for Scott abruptly cutting in a few seconds into the slow dance.

“Scott, you can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Controlling who I dance with, controlling who I’m interested in.”

“Your track record isn’t great, T,” He said, “Ryan wasn’t exactly all great and Poje . . . he’s just a putz.”

She fully glared at him now. “And your track record is great?”

They paused briefly both to gawk at each other, before resuming the dance not wanting to raise any suspicion. Their past and current relationships with other

“Let’s just drop it,” murmured Tessa, “get through this dance then enjoy the rest of our night with the people who paid a lot of money to be here.”

“Do you like him?”

“Jesus Christ, Scott.”

“Peter,” Scott gritted through his teeth, “do you like him?”

“You are jealous, aren’t you? Admit it.”

“I’m just . . . looking out for you.”

Tessa snorted, “you’re unbelievable.”

“T--”

“I can’t,” She stepped away from him, “excuse me.”

Scott stood on the floor and watched Tessa leave the room. He stared for a while collecting his thoughts, and trying to understand. He didn’t know what he wanted in the long run, but he knew what he wanted now.

It was Tessa.

It always was Tessa.

* * *

Scott stood outside of the public restroom, that he saw Tessa duck into. He knew Tessa wanted to be left alone by him, it was written in her eyes the minute he stole her away from Peter on the dance floor. She didn’t have that light to her eyes that she used to have when they were dancing on and off the ice. It was because Scott hurt her, hurt her in ways that were unimaginable.

He hated himself for it.

His hands were dug inside his pockets and he paced back and forth waiting for her. He knew that she deserved an explanation.

When the door opened, Tessa walked out not noticing him at first. The redness in her eyes was enough of an indicator that she had been crying. The lump swelled in his throat, when they both made eye contact with one another.

“Tess,” He said, his voice faltering.

“What do you want?”

“To talk, please.”

She glanced around at the few hotel workers walking around with trays of food and drinks. “About what? Are you incapable of understanding that I don’t want—”

He blurted out, “I am jealous.”

Her heart skipped a beat when he started walking closer to her. She knew he was, it was obvious by his actions, but she couldn't help but feel amused. “Why?” questioned Tessa, “you moved on. You shouldn’t be jealous.”

“I can’t help it,” He said, “I don’t want anyone to touch you, to dance with you. You’re my partner.”

“But I’m not yours.”

The words stung Scott, and his posture slumped slightly. He knew that he had repeatedly chosen Jackie over Tessa, due to his own insecurities. Tessa was better than him in so many ways, and he thought that she deserved better. Except he struggled to let her get someone better than him, his own jealousy and possessiveness taking hold of him every second he got.

“Do you really think that?” whispered Scott.

“Impossible not to.”

He swallowed and hated that is how she thought about their situation. “Come with me,” said Scott. He grabbed Tessa’s hand before she had a chance to respond and walked her down one of the nearby hallways out of earshot from people.

“Scott,” warned Tessa, “we should be getting back to the party. They will be looking for us. I don’t have time for this.”

“I am always going to be your partner, T. No matter what, don’t doubt that.”

“Stop. Stop with the damn lies.”

Scott continued, pleading to get through to her. “Do you know what you do to me, T? Do you know what happens to me when you step foot in the room?”

“Scott,” She gritted between her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut.

“You’re so god damn beautiful, and I hate myself that I don’t have you anymore. I’m jealous of anyone that gets to be with you.”

Tessa’s heart pounded in her chest as she heard the words come from Scott’s mouth. Any sort of wall she held up in front of him began slowly coming down, letting herself become vulnerable.

“You gave me up. You didn’t wait,” sadly said Tessa, “and it didn’t work out for a reason. I believe that.”

“I know I’m easy to let go, but fuck, T. You’re the opposite. I can’t let you go, even though I am trying to move on.”

She spoke softly, just loud enough so he could hear. “You don’t think I get jealous? You think that I woke up one day and was immediately over you?”

“So are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Over me.”

Tessa hesitated in her response, but figured that there was no point in being dishonest. She missed him being with him in every way possible. The other guys she flirted and had casual dates with didn’t come close to Scott. She longed for him each time, craved his touch, and the way he fucked her.

“Tessa--”

She interrupted him. “No. No I’m not over you, but that doesn’t and shouldn’t mean anything. Are you happy now that you heard it outloud?”

Suddenly, Scott’s hands were on either side of Tessa’s head and pressed against the wall. His eyes were filled with burning intensity and desire, desperately wanting to feel her against him once more. The smell of her flowery perfume was intoxicating to him. He smelt it as soon as he got close to her at the party.

She knew what the perfume did to him. That it made his cock stir every time he breathed in the scent. That was why she agreed to all of the pictures of them during this trip; either the two of them standing next to each other or in a group of people. Tessa continued schmoozing the guests in the activities, but every time she met Scott’s eyes a flicker of amusement would cross over them.

Tessa’s breath tickled his lips, and it now dawned on him how close he was to her. He stared into the emerald irises, that matched his own lust and eagerness. He recognized the facade she put up with the other guests, the way she laughed and touched the shoulder of the younger men to make a point. A point that she didn’t need him. That she could find her pleasure elsewhere, despite her gravitational pull towards him.

“Scott,” She said, resting her hand on his abdomen. Her fingers spread outwards, feeling the smooth surface beneath his white button-down. It wasn’t as muscled as she remembered, and she couldn’t help but feel her heart drop knowing why it was this way.

“I miss you,” He replied, “I miss us.”

Tessa’s heart fluttered upon hearing those words, and later she would criticize herself at caving into his words. “We can’t,” She responded.

“You know damn well what you’re doing to me,” growled Scott, his nose grazing the tip of Tessa’s.

She smirked, pleasantly surprised. “I don’t think I’m doing anything, Scott,” said Tessa slowly. She leaned her head against the wall and watched her fingers on his chest start drifting downward. The hitch in Scott’s breathe and the way he stepped close to her, their pelvis’s mere inches away was enough to indicate his own temptation.

She continued, “I’m enjoying my time at the Great Kitchen Party with guests that paid a lot of money to attend.”

Her fingers paused once it hit the belt buckle.

“I need you,” muttered Scott in Tessa’s ear.

Her fingers immediately lifted from his belt. “You have someone else though.”

“It’s not the same, T, it doesn’t feel the same. You have to know that.”

Tessa felt her own wetness grow between her legs as Scott spoke those words to her. Her heart rate continued to increase, and she felt her own breathing starting to get short. “How so?”

He hesitated, knowing full well that once he said it outloud there was no going back. The way her eyes peered into his own, wanting, needing to know what he had to say. Except he thought about Jackie, he knew what repercussions would occur.

“You’re right, we shouldn’t,” He stepped away shamefully, despite the heightened libido he had for Tessa. “Fucking hell, what are we doing?”

Tessa tried not to display her disappointment, despite her throbbing heat between her legs. She watched him turn around and rub his face, at crossroads with himself. “Scott,” She said, smoothing down her pleated, black dress, and adjusting the leopard belt, “I’m sorry. Let’s just forget about it and go back to the event. I’m sure they will be looking for us soon.”

She glanced down the less-traveled corner of the hotel feeling a sense of urgency to get back. When Tessa looked back at Scott, she saw that he was resting his head and a fist against the wall at a mental battle.

“It is my fault, I should know better. We are in our thirties, we need to grow up,” said Tessa somewhat shamefully, “I’ll see you in there, okay?”

Tessa stared at him longingly then turned around to walk away. She was immediately stopped when Scott grabbed her hand. She stared down at the hand, and the way his fingers were laced through hers, then met his hazel eyes.

It was past the point of no return, she knew that now from the look in his eyes.

“I wanted to tell you that--” He paused.

She didn’t miss a beat. “Tell me what?”

This time he didn’t hesitate. He found her eyes and said sincerely and boldly, “I wanted to tell you that being inside of you, that fucking you can’t compete with anyone else. Being with you is the greatest feeling in the world.”

“Scott--” She started, but was quickly cut off.

He pushed her against the wall, his lips firmly pressed against hers and his hands cupping her face. They both knew it was wrong, they always felt guilty afterwards; in the moment, passion overtook any sense of morals and neither could get enough of each other. It had been far too long since they kissed, far too long since they caved into temptation and came together.

Scott’s hands drifted downward to feel both of Tessa’s breasts. They were fuller and larger than he remembered, but still had this firmness and perkiness to them. His thumbs traced over the fabric covering her nipples. They were hardening under his touch and he so desperately wanted to cover his mouth over each of them, but the cut of the dress did not provide him that favor.

“Scott,” moaned Tessa, after he squeezed both of her breasts. She moved away from his lips, but they soon found their place on the crook of Tessa’s neck. “I missed this too, I missed you.”

He nipped gently at her neck, hearing another moan escape Tessa. “Shh,” He hummed against her neck. “You need to keep it down, or someone will come down the hallway.”

Tessa and Scott would be considered liars if they both denied the kink they had doing this in a somewhat public place. They could easily have snuck away to one of their hotel rooms, but doing this against a less-traveled down hallway in the hotel made it all so much better.

Scott’s cock stiffened in his pants, making them unbearably tight. Tessa could feel the wetness seeping out from her core to dampen her lacy thong, her lust building rapidly. Her hands moved down from clutching onto his hair to reach the belt that she so daringly touched earlier. Instead this time she undid it, not caring about any repercussions.

He was hard and ready for her, and she wanted more than ever to feel his cock fill her again. Tessa grinded her hips against him, feeling his hardened length against her crotch. “Scott, need you now,” She exhaled between each word.

Scott pulled away from her neck, seeing the faint mark that would be there. He smirked at the way her eyes were filled with demand, and the way her voice whined for him; it made him even hornier, if that was even possible. He grabbed at the pleated skirt portion of her black dress, inching it upwards.

The thong was wet, her core throbbing at the desire to be touched there. His fingers grasped ahold of the band of her thong and he seamlessly ripped them down enough so they could drop to the floor. Scott paused when he felt Tessa’s hands undo the zipper of his pants, and clutch around his cock. He nearly came undone under her simple touch, and kissed her again. Harder than before, and he knew well that his lips would be swollen afterwards.

His fingers felt the outside of her core, wet and ready for him. If time didn’t matter he would have gone down on her, desperately wanting more than ever to pleasure her. He loved looking up at her face when he licked her folds to see her come undone under his influence. He loved how she tasted, especially after she came. Like everything else she was addicting, but right now, he knew that they didn’t have the time.

Scott lifted Tessa from underneath her ass and pressed her firmly against the wall. Her legs wrapped around him in response.

“Tess?” said Scott wanting to hear her verbal permission.

“Fuck me, Scott. Please,” She said breathlessly.

He took his cock out of his boxer briefs and lined it up next to her core. They stared into each other’s eyes the entire time, neither feeling guilt at this particular moment.. He slid in slowly, wanting to savor the feeling of her wetness enveloping her. She was tight, just like she always had been.

Once he was all the way inside of her, he paused before he dared move again. It felt right, an overwhelming sense of belonging to each other took over them.

Scott let some of the bunched fabric fall downwards, to drape over and conceal them. Then he began thrusting, long and hard. He felt the way Tessa’s core tightened around him with each thrust and it nearly sent him over already.

Tessa let out soft moans after each time he thrusted hard into her, trying not to be too loud. She felt full again, something that she had lacked for a long time. There were the occasional hook-ups she had over the past few months, and, of course, there was masturbation, but nothing ever amounted to this feeling.

He could tell by the way her chest was moving up and down, the way her eyes were starting to gleam over that her own climax was also building. Scott knew she needed that release, and he was addicted to how the expression in her eyes changed once she came.

Shifting his balance, he managed to slip one of his hands underneath her dress to find her clit. It was swollen and throbbing, and a moan escaped her mouth as soon as his fingers touched it.

“Fuck. That. Do that. You know me,” She said into his ear.

They remained bound to each other, his thrusts pounding into her. Meanwhile his finger rubbed her clit in circular motions trying to coax an orgasm from her. Scott gazed into her eyes, ensuring that it felt just as good for her. Judging by the way the way her fingernails dug into his back, the way her breaths were becoming erratic, was enough to signal to him that she was close.

A few more minutes passed and Scott could feel his own climax building and about to be released. “Tess, I’m close,” He whispered in her ear, knowing that he couldn’t hold back for much longer.

“Me too.”

A few more thrusts was enough for an orgasm to consume Scott. It rippled through him, as he continued rubbing Tessa’s clit. She came a few seconds after him both of them filled with ecstasy. He continued to thrust in her slowly, riding out the end of his climax feeling Tessa’s core clamp around his cock.

Tessa stepped into her thong once Scott had gone soft and they both came down from their climaxes. Scott adjusted his shirt, making sure it was fully tucked in before he did his belt back up. When they were both redressed, they stared at each other unsure what to make out of what just happened.

“I need to fix your hair. I messed it up,” said Tessa. Her eyes widened when she saw the sex hair Scott elicited. It was puffier than usual, the gel no longer in place due to her fingers raking through it earlier.

He silently agreed to it and once again her fingers were combing through his tresses, this time gentler.

“Tess, that was . . . wow,” said Scott.

She finished fixing his hair, and then went to adjust the collar of his shirt. “I know,” She said. Tessa could feel the soreness deep inside her core, but still craving more of his touch. “I guess we can check fucking against a public hotel wall off the list.”

Tessa opened up her clutch she recovered from the ground, and grabbed a tissue from it. She offered it to Scott. “Here, you might need this. I got some lipstick on your lips.”

He thanked her and started rubbing at his lips, noticing the small traces of lipstick coating the napkin. Tessa meanwhile looked in her compact mirror to touch up parts of her makeup that shifted during sex.

As good as Scott felt, as much as he wanted to keep kissing Tessa and take her back to the hotel room, reality hit him. He felt the flush on his face started to fade, and his skin became pale. He cleared his throat, his eyes stared at the ground,“Tess, you know this can’t happen again after this trip. This has to be it.”

“I know,” Tessa quickly responded.

“Okay, good. I mean this was just a slip-up, a moment of weakness,” He stated, but mostly to reassure himself.

“I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lead you on. I feel--” Tessa paused and then shook her head, knowing that there was no point in lying, “you should know that I don’t regret it, but I know it can’t happen again.”

Scott stared at Tessa seeing the sincerity and internal battle she was fighting too about this situation. “I . . . I know what answer you want in return, Tess, but I don’t know if I can give it to you.”

He wanted to tell her that he had no regrets. That he would fuck her again, that he would lick her until she came into his mouth, and that he wanted to sleep next to her naked. Scott missed how things were a year ago during their tours in Japan and the GKP trips. They took advantage of the tourism aspect, but also spent those lazy days being with each other. Truly with it other.

Stuff changed, clearly, and now he continued to be at crossroads with himself.

“I’m sorry,” said Scott.

“I know, I’m sorry too. But Scott?”

“Yeah?”

Tessa dug around in her clutch and grabbed one of the two key cards she stashed in there. Scott was slightly bewildered as she daringly stepped closer to him, tucking the keycard in the front pocket of his pants. “You said it can’t happen again after this trip.”

He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

“I’m in room 9604,” She whispered in his ear. She pressed her lips against his one last time, a part of her not wanting to let go and to take him to her room for more. Tessa bit down on the bottom of Scott’s lip as she pulled away, winking at him teasingly to rejoin the party.

“Fuck,” Scott said once Tessa was out of sight.

He moved his hand to feel the keycard in his pocket. Scott knew he shouldn’t, that he already went against his word to the girlfriend back in Florida. Despite the guilt-stimulating act, he hardly felt it as he typed in Tessa’s room number in the notes of his phone.

There was no way he wouldn’t succumb again this trip. Sex with Tessa was unforgettable and something his body and mind needed one last time. This couldn’t happen after the trip, he said that to Tessa. Tessa was also right in saying that the trip technically wasn’t over. Two more days to let out any last feelings they still had for each other, to continue the breakup sex.

At least that is what he tried to convince himself.

* * *

Tessa was already socializing with a glass of champagne in her hand by the time Scott arrived back to the party. Laughter echoed from her mouth, accompanied by a wide grin acting as though nothing happened in her brief disappearance. No one would suspect anything, she knew how to hide her emotions.

“Oh, there you are! We were just talking about you,” said Tessa, once she saw Scott. She turned towards him and sent a message through her expression to go along with it. “How is Jackie doing? I was just telling them you had to step out and take a phone call from her.”

Scott stared at Tessa, and then swallowed. He nodded his head stiffly, and grabbed his own glass of champagne from one of the staff members walking around. “Oh, she’s fine. She just rambled about something that happened at work.”

“It is too bad your girlfriend couldn’t come, Scott. We would have liked to meet her,” said the man Tessa was talking to. “I understand how she chose Mallorca over this cold place.”

Scott glanced over at Tessa, who was taking a large drink from her champagne glass. He nodded and took a sip of his own, trying to take the edge off of the situation. “Yeah, she is busy at work or has some concert. I don’t know. Anyways,” He looked at the name tag of the person, “so Brad, are you enjoying your time here?”

Brad smiled, “Yes, it has been great. Although I wish I bid on Mallorca not here.”

Tessa giggled, like how she always did when she was entertaining people. “Mallorca was beautiful, but I’m definitely enjoying my time here,” replied Tessa, glancing at Scott with the mischievous look in her eyes.

“I just wanted to congratulate both of you on all of your success. My wife and I have certainly enjoyed watching you over the years at the Olympics,” said Brad smiling. “I’m assuming you’re done skating?”

Tessa and Scott both felt the knot in their stomach arise. They knew they were done competing and would inevitably retire, but neither had spoken about it formally with each other. It wasn’t as if they had time to hold conversations with each other, not with Scott’s free time being consumed in Florida with Jackie. This wasn’t the type of conversation to have over the phone.

Scott was the first one to reply, a new found sense of wit consuming him. “Done skating? Never. We still have the Rock the Rink tour in the fall. T-bone and I aren’t going anywhere for awhile, unless you’re sick of us.”

“Never,” laughed Brad, “but what I meant was are you done competing?”

“Not formally. No papers have been signed,” shrugged Scott, he glanced at Tessa who continued to remain tense. “We still are taking the time to make the decision, but I think it is safe to assume we will not be competing this season. We have a lot of options to weigh.”

“We do,” said Tessa, finally speaking up, “but that doesn’t mean we aren’t keeping busy. Various sponsorship deals, planning a tour, and Scott has been busy doing things.” When she said “things” the tone in her voice appeared uncertain and distant. She didn’t actually know what Scott had been doing.

Brad didn’t appear to notice the deflection from Tessa and sipped his drink. “Oh to have your life for a day. How do you balance it all?”

“Well, T is better than me, that’s for sure. She always has been and likes planning out her day from start to finish. I just kinda wake up and then figure out what I’m going to do.”

“You’re giving me too much credit,” laughed Tessa.

Scott shrugged and then looked at Brad’s name tag. “How about this, Brad. You can be me for the rest of the night and I’ll be you.”

Brad raised his brows curiously.

Scott then proceeded to rip off Brad’s nametag from the shirt and placed it on his dress shirt. Tessa snorted and Brad started laughing, and placed his hand on Scott’s shoulder.

“You’re a funny guy, Scott. Never change.”

“My name is Brad, actually,” goofily replied Scott, “Brad to the bone.”

Tessa rolled her eyes and gazed at the rest of the crowd that were intermingling, but still smiled at Scott’s pun. She hated that Scott always managed to make her smile no matter how upset she was with him. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t feel some sort of resentment towards him after everything that happened.

Going to France, after stepping away from Scott, was supposed to help clear her mind and sort out her feelings. PyeongChang left them with a bubble surrounding them, even months after their gold medal wins. She felt unsure that her feelings for Scott were due to the momentous occasion that occurred or were real, and that was the clarity she needed in France.

Only to find that when she returned Scott was distancing himself, despite her pleas for him to listen. He listened, they fucked, and she thought everything was great. Until Nashville, until she discovered that he had moved onto someone else, thanks to Cara.

She would be lying if she said it hadn’t stung, it still continued to sting. Keeping her distance was easy at first, especially with Christmas and New Year’s, but when she was around Scott the line that she redrew for boundaries shattered every time. They fucked, a lot, every time they saw each other. Sex that was filled with frustration and regret for their past.

Yet, they never talked. They just fucked as if it was some sort of magical remedy.

Although she never regretted having sex with Scott, never once. Was she a bad person for not caring he was cheating? Not caring that they never recoiled after France? She swallowed her sip of champagne and shook her head. This was messy, and she needed to remain distracted.

“Scott, we should take a picture for Instagram,” She said knowing that her fans would want some of their image maintained.

“Yeah, we should. Brad you want to take it for us?”

“I thought you were Brad?” joked Brad. “Anyways, how about we go over here? There is better lighting.”

* * *

Tessa sat in her robe in the hotel room, relaxed after a great night of laughter and champagne. The evening hadn’t started off great, taking into account the jealousy and cold-shoulder Scott gave her at the beginning of the night. It was resolved quickly though, at least, and Tessa saw the glow on both of them in they photo they took.

She scrolled through the comments on the instagram post, giggling at some of the ridiculous fan comments and smiling at the sweet ones that were left. She couldn’t help but wonder if Jackie would see the photo, and if Scott would get a series of texts and phone calls. It happened before, back in April when they were spending a lot of time together in preparation for the Korea shows. Although, Scott never admitted it to Tessa it wasn’t hard to connect the paleness that would cover his face when he checked his phone.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, followed by the click of the keycard being inserted into her door. Smirking, she locked her phone and placed it on her nightstand. Her eyes flickered towards the TV that had an episode of The Big Bang Theory on it, that continued.

“Tess?” called Scott’s voice.

“On the bed watching TV!” She hollered.

Scott appeared in view a few seconds later, his hands buried in both pockets. He stared at her, unsure what to say or do. There had only been a handful of times this lack of knowing what to say to each other, and each time became more painful than before.

Tessa’s heart felt heavy in her chest, as she adjusted her robe across her chest and swallowed. The top two buttons on his dress shirt were now unbuttoned and the glimmer of his chain. Her weakness, it always had been, and she could feel the heat between her legs grow.

She had to change her mind, had to distract herself from his untucked shirt and open buttons. Tessa did miss being intimate with him, she missed the urgency they used to have to get back to the hotel room and fuck. The thing she missed the most was being close to him, not in a physical sense, but that deep emotional connection. Although she could sense it was still there, but more or less in fragments to what it once was.

Tessa was quick to distract herself from his appearance, and instead grabbed her phone and pulled up her calendar app. “So, I was thinking that we should make some time tomorrow to discuss some of the tour details. I know you said you wanted to change something about the practice times in the fall, and I know we need to book ice time in Vancouver before--”

“I know this is a mistake,” He blurted out.

She paused where she was and met his gaze, taken aback.

“T, I’m sorry. I just can’t do that again,” said Scott. He tossed the hotel key on the desk. “It would be wrong.”

Tessa stared at the key card then back at him. She nodded curtly and bit the bottom of her lip, tuning out the sounds from the TV. “I know, it was a bad idea on my part. I’m sorry.”

“But it doesn’t mean I don’t want you. Things are different now and--”

“I feel the same,” She sighed out of frustration with this situation. “Let’s just call it a night and we can discuss the tour stuff tomorrow morning before the activities start. Is that okay or do you have something else going on?”

Scott’s heels continued to dig in the spot he stood. “Yeah, that’s fine. Want to meet in the lobby for breakfast? I think they have a buffet.”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

He remained standing.

“Scott?”

“Hm?”

“Are you going to leave? I wanted to take a shower before bed.” She now stood next to her bed, plugging her phone in to charge. She brushed some of the stray hair away from her face, and then crossed her arms against her chest to cover the bit of freckled, creamy skin exposed from the dip in the robe.

His cheeks flushed slightly at seeing Tessa standing in a robe in front of him. “I, uh, yeah. I should probably get going. What time tomorrow? Seven-thirty?”

“Sounds great to me.”

They both stood still, searching each other’s eyes.

The longing was there. The need was there to break down the walls again and be vulnerable with each other. Except both knew what happened earlier was wrong, both had time to process. Tessa knew it was wrong to give Scott her room key, to suggest for them to have more mishaps in their business partnership. Yet, she still wanted him, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he still wanted her.

“I thought you were leaving,” whispered Tessa. She daringly stepped a few steps closer to him, continuing to make eye contact with him.

“I am.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“Going back to my room means feeling obligated to check my phone ,” He swallowed. “I--I don’t want to deal with Cara or Jackie. I just want to be left alone.”

Tessa remained unconvinced. “And being in my room ensures you won’t check your phone?”

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, “I guess that sounds stupid. It is just easier to avoid them here. I can’t explain it.”

She cared about him still, and she could sense that his mentality wasn’t where it was a year ago. That he had slowly been falling apart with bouts of depression and anxiety. It was written in his eyes, the cry for help that he always verbally struggled to admit.

The soft spot she had for him was enough to counteract any of the tension or awkwardness from before. “You can stay here for a bit if you want. I’m going to shower and then go through some emails. Um, make yourself comfortable.”

He looked at her surprised, but relieved. “Okay, yeah, thanks,” muttered Scott.

Tessa walked by and squeezed his arm, making her way to the bathroom.

* * *

The sound of the shower drove Scott insane.

Mostly due Scott’s growing libido and moral compass at combat with one another. He laid on Tessa’s hotel bed, the palms of his hands covering his face trying not to let his mind wander down that road. The curious nature made him wonder what her breasts looked like now, they had gotten noticeable larger and fuller.

“Fuck,” murmured Scott feeling the tightening in his pants.

A year ago he would have found himself in the shower with her; washing, massaging, and fucking her until the hot water ran out. He missed sex with Tessa, he missed falling asleep with her in his arms and waking up before she even dared open an eye. Jackie was fine, just average more or less, and he never really found himself as captivated by her as he was Tessa.

He sighed and yanked the phone out of his tightening pants, moving his fingers just enough to see a sliver of his phone. It was lit up with a hundred unread text messages; individual messages from Jackie, group chat messages from Jackie and Cara (a thing he loathed), and a text from his mom.

Sighing he unlocked the phone and ignored the messages from Jackie and Cara, to reply to his mom. That was the least he could do, at least someone in his circle would know that he was alive.

After sending the message he turned off his phone, and rolled over on his side. He sighed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck both of you,” He murmured thinking about the unread messages.

Tessa never did that to him. Never obsessively texted him about his whereabouts and what he was doing at the top of every hour. She trusted him with everything, she had let him completely into her inner most thoughts. It was healthy, at some point, but somewhere along the way toxicity built up around them. Now it was toxic, the most toxic it had been in awhile.

He stood up and went over to the bathroom door, hesitated as he looked at the handle. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t resist. Not any more, at least not for the remainder of the trip. The aroma of her shampoo and body wash filled the air when he entered. He could hear Tessa humming a song that played at the party a couple hours ago, which only made him smirk.

“Tess?”

The singing stopped and she grabbed the shower curtain to peer around it. Suds dripped down from her soapy lather and ran down her face. Her eyes were slightly racoon-like, a bit of her mascara leftover. “Everything okay?”

He shook his head, and she frowned.

“I’ll be done soon. I just--”

“I take it back what I said.”

She tilted her head, but her eyes knew what he meant. He walked towards her and used the back of his hand to wipe off some of the soapy bubbles.

“I do too,” replied Tessa into his eyes, “but that doesn’t mean we should.”

“Everything is so fucked up.”

She agreed, even though it pained her to say it. “Despite everything, Scott, I still want you,” said Tessa, “even though I shouldn’t. God, Jordan would kill me if she heard that.”

“I know,” He whispered, “and I know this is wrong. It didn’t work out for a reason.”

“And you’re now with someone.”

“Yet--”

“We still want to fuck each other,” Tessa interrupted.

Scott nodded.

It was silent for a few seconds, the only sound being the water coming out of the shower head. Tessa stood there, continuing to clutch the shower curtain, contemplating what to do. She knew their morals were always skewed, heck they continued to sleep together through half of their tour this past fall. Things were different now; now that Scott seemed committed to his relationship with Jackie.

Or was he that committed? She puzzled over that thought thinking about his reluctance to look at his phone tonight, perhaps due to the guilty act from earlier, but then she remembered the subtle comments he made about Jackie the past several months. Was he actually happy?

Tessa blinked several times and then reached out her arm from the shower curtain, not caring that part of it slipped away to expose part of her breasts. “Are you just going to stand there again?”

He stared at her intently and watched as her wet finger looped through the chain. Scott’s cock stirred in his pants and he swallowed. “I--I don’t know.”

“You can step away or we can make another mistake. A mistake that may--”

“We make a mistake,” said Scott silencing her with his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> I was feeling some angst the past several weeks with everything going on, and I figured that it was time to take a break from fluff in Path to You and get some angst off my chest. Hopefully the fluff will come back to me and I can return to the happy alternate reality.
> 
> I left this little story off open-ended if anyone would like a part 2? Thoughts? Let me know!
> 
> I appreciate all of you. xx


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